Overwhelmed July 24, 2008

Have you ever been to an IKEA store?  I had my first experience yesterday.  I’m not sure how to put into words what that place is like.  Huge, cavernous, crazy, overwhelming….those are all words that fit.  The place was awesome but there was so much stuff to look at that I became a bit overwhelmed.  Total sensory overload.  I realized that I wasn’t enjoying myself the way that I wanted to because I was letting the hugeness of it get to me. 

I feel the same way with food sometimes.  I forget to do it because I love it and end up doing it to impress somebody or to make someone else happy, without making me happy.  When I am cooking or baking in its purest form, its perfect.  When I’m doing it for the right reasons and with no interruptions, its beautiful and pure.  But that doesn’t happen too often for me anymore and I refuse to lose the love of it because of everything else.  Sometimes you’ve just gotta start small.  Focus on one thing, do that and do it well, and then when you’ve kicked its butt, move onto something else.  Cooking isn’t a race, it’s a lifelong journey of learning and only when you truly understand a dish, can you move onto another and do it well. 

After my IKEA trip yesterday I had to call my roommate and tell her I went there.  She loves that place and I knew she’d be proud of me!  Don’t be afraid to do the same thing with your food.  If you conquer something that you’re proud of, share it with somebody.  For me, the thrill of finally mastering something that’s beaten me for a while is something I need to share!

Quick fix July 19, 2008

Every month or so I get together with a group of girls and we scrapbook.  It’s fun to sit together and compare stories about our kids and look at each others pictures and talk about our husbands.  Part of the fun is that we usually bring a dish to share…the more people that come scrap, the more food there is to eat!  We had kind of an odd situation yesterday where we werent’ sure if the scrap was gonna happen or not and when, at the last minute, it did, I didn’t have anything made.  So, what did I do you ask? 

I made an ice cream pie.  I mean really, what’s better in summer than that?  I knew everyone else would bring food and I would have to bring the dessert, so I opened up my freezer, found some Butterfinger ice cream (my husband loves it) and got to work.  Here’s what I did.  I had a pre-made graham cracker crust.  I baked that for 8 minutes or so.  Let that cool then I poured some caramel ice cream topping in the bottom of the crust.  I added a layer of ice cream, about halfway up the crust.  Then I drizzled more caramel and some peanut butter that I melted down in the microwave over the ice cream.  Then came the second layer of ice cream, followed by another drizzling of the caramel and peanut butter and finished off with some crushed Butterfinger candy on top.  I have to say, it was stellar.  Messy maybe, but stellar. 

Think of all the possibilities with ice cream and cookies and syrups and candies that you can combine to make the best ice cream pie ever!  They’re quick, they’re easy and there’s no recipe at all, just your taste buds to guide you!

Homemade goodness July 16, 2008

When it comes to summer and all its crazy heat, the one thing that makes it tolerable for me is homemade ice cream.  I know I wrote about ice cream a week or so ago, but that was different.  My girls wanted to go outside this morning and when I stepped out to see how hot it was, I almost fainted.  I don’t know, maybe I’m a vampire or something but I HATE hot weather.  I hate sweating the minute I walk out the door before I even do anything.  I hate the eternal state of frizz that my hair is in the entire summer.  So, the way I combat the summertime blues is through great, cold food and it doesn’t get any better than homemade ice cream.

Now when it comes to recipes, they run the gamut from super simple to way complex.  I grew up on a fairly easy recipe and my husband’s family does one of the easiest ones around.  I guess it depends on what you grew up with and what you like.  For me, it has to taste like vanilla….not just like milk.  I think a lot of the recipes lack enough vanilla to make them taste like anything other than a glorified milkshake. 

So, here are 2 recipes for homemade ice cream.  Both are easy, both are simple and both taste great.  I always up the vanilla content, no matter what it calls for, I always put more, but that’s just me.

1 carton cool whip, 1 can swt. condensed milk, 1/2 to 1C sugar (depending on your sweet tooth), 3 tbsp. vanilla, milk……Mix cool whip, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla.  Pour into ice cream container.  Add milk to the fill line and mix well.  Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Next recipe:  4 eggs, 2 1/4C sugar, 5C milk, 4C half and half, 4 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. salt…..Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add sugar, mixing well.  Slowly stir in milk and half and half.  Add vanilla and salt; stir well.  Pour into ice cream freezer and follow directions.  Makes 1 gallon. 

There you have it…..something to try for dessert tonight.  After all, what goes better with barbecuing and hot weather than homemade ice cream?

Fresh fruit tart July 12, 2008

I was inspired today by summer’s bountiful fruit harvest.  I decided to make a fresh fruit tart today and it couldn’t have been easier.  It starts with the dough.  You can even used storebought pie crusts and lay them into a tart pan.  I used a regular pie crust recipe.  Bake that for a few minutes until golden.  Then comes the filling.  You can do whatever you like.  It can be as basic as vanilla pudding or whipped cream or as elaborate as the cinnamon-rum creamcheese filling that I did today.  Just think about the type of fruit you’re going to put on top and try to pick a filling that will taste good with the fruit.  Then comes the fun part.  Use your imagination and lay the fruit on any way you like, just make it look beautiful.  I finish mine off with a glaze of apricot jelly watered down to make it like a syrup.  Just brush it on and the tart is nice and shiny. 

Every single fruit that I have tasted lately has been so beautifully ripe that I couldn’t resist making them a showstopper in a fruit tart.  I hope you enjoy!

fresh fruit tart

Summer fresh July 10, 2008

I was thinking today about how good a fresh pineapple sounded and it made me remember a great fruit salad that I thought I’d share with you.  This is just something simple and fresh with great flavors that you can make anytime.  It’s a melon salad with orange-lime dressing.

1/4C frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed, 6 tbsp. lime juice, zest of one lime, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1 cantaloupe, 1 honeydew melon, 2C seedless grapes, any color.

Combine orange juice concentrate, lime juice and zest and vanilla in small bowl; set aside.  Cut melons into cubes or use a melon baller to make balls.  Place in large serving bowl.  Add grapes.  Pour dressing over fruit and toss gently. 

It’s super simple and totally refreshing.  I’m actually making it for a baby shower this weekend.  Hope you enjoy!

I hate exercise! July 8, 2008

It all started in high school.  My roommate and I (the person I roomed with in college and still call roommate) had gym class together.  It was then that we realized we hated sweating.  It felt gross and made our makeup look nasty.  We devised a plan to stop the sweat, which works relatively well, but all the while taught me to hate exercise.  So, do I blame her?  No, but I’m happy to say that she doesn’t enjoy exercise either, to this day. 

My husband and I were sitting on the couch the other night and I saw this absurd workout gimmick commercial and apparently it made me mad and I uttered the phrase, “I hate exercise!”  I must’ve been pretty funny because my hubby started cracking up at my frustration.  I was just being honest.  Why do they always show hot chicks working out?  Why don’t they ever show fat people and then show the process of them getting hotter?  The truth is, if you look as hot as those people do on tv, you’re not using some little ball to get those abs. 

What’s my point, you say?  Over the years I have learned that because I hate exercise, I have to control my weight another way.  For me, the weight-gainer is sugar.  The downside of that is that sugar is in everything.  Bread, pasta, fruits, veggies….everything.  The good part of that is that since I know what puts the weight on me, I can be conscious of what I eat.  Another bad part is that I’m a baker, and baking requires sugar, lots of it most of the time.  So, I’ve developed tons of shortcuts and ways around stuff so that I’m not packing on the pounds everyday.  I obviously don’t know what works for you or your body, but when I’m being good and strict, I can easily drop a pound a day by cutting sugar out.  No kidding.

First for me is beverages.  My theory is that if I’m gonna have calories, I wanna eat those calories, not drink them.  I don’t drink alcohol at all, just a personal choice.  I always order unsweetened tea when I’m out and add my own splenda or equal to it.  When you get sweetened tea, they sweeten it with sugar, so there’s a ton of calories in there.  I do the same to my tea at home.  I buy the big Splenda bag and sweeten it with that.  You can also bake with Splenda, too, but only some stuff.  They even have splenda cookbooks, which I have, that give you all kinds of recipes.  I just try to always be conscious of my sugar and if I can cut it in some way, then I do. 

As far as bread goes, a slice of white bread is the same as 2 tbsp. of sugar.  No joke.  So, of course, I use whole grain, not just whole wheat.  They’re not the same thing. 

I don’t know if you’ve looked at the grocery store lately, but there is pretty much a sugar-free version of everything lately and I’ve only found a few substitutions that tasted bad.  The bottom line is that in a lot of the stuff we eat, sugar isn’t necessary.  So, if you’re like me and hate exercise, try to cut the sugar.  It works for me at least. 

And roommate, I’m so glad you don’t like to sweat, either!

I scream, but do you scream? July 7, 2008

I don’t know how you feel about ice cream.  I don’t know how most people feel about ice cream, but I rediscovered how I felt about it yesterday.  I’ve always loved homemade ice cream, the kind you make with your crank machine that’s good ole’ vanilla.  There is something so comforting and nostalgic about that kind and sometimes only it will do.  However, I discovered a new kind yesterday that blew me away.  I dont’ use that term loosely, either. 

My husband and I were lucky enough to be given a date night away from the girls yesterday so we decided to rent a movie and stay in.  My contribution to the date was that we needed to get some ice cream, too.  We decided that we would go to the store and both of us would pick out our favorite kind.  I immediately went to the good stuff, no messin’ around for me.  I’m not a plain vanilla girl.  Then I saw it….Haagen Dazs Reserve.  I know enough about Haagen Dazs to know that the reserve flavors are only offered once in a while.  This one is called Fleur de sel caramel and holy crap, it rocked my world! 

I don’t know if you have any idea what fleur de sel is, but it’s a type of salt harvested on the coast of the Britany region of France.  The name means flower of the sea and it is revered throughout the culinary world as being the best of the best as far as salt is concerned.  In this ice cream, the salty notes of the fleur de sel pair with the rich creamy caramel for the ultimate combination.  There are also actual fleur de sel caramels in the ice cream covered with chocolate.  I’m telling you, this ice cream gave me a foodgasm.  You can figure out for yourself what that means!!  

So, in the spirit of sharing wonderful things with you, I’m sharing my Haagen Dazs.  Go out right now while you can still get this stuff and pick up a pint of it and tell me if you think it’s the best you’ve ever had.  My diet is on the shelf this week and I could care less about that.  As long as I get to eat some of this ice cream, I’m a happy camper!

Rockin’ holiday July 5, 2008

Well, hopefully you had a kick-butt 4th.  My plans all kinda fell through the cracks, so I was not my usual happy 4th self.  I would love for you to share about any awesome new dishes you had yesterday or anything you were inspired to create.  I made a flag cake, as usual, but other than that, I was pretty uninspiring yesterday, which means I need some good stuff from you guys!  Enjoy your day!

Picnic panic July 1, 2008

I figured with the 4th coming up this weekend, you may be scrambling to figure out what to bring to the potluck or barbecue you’re attending.  So, for the next few days I will be attempting to solve that problem for you.  I’m gonna give you a few sure-fire hits that don’t require an entire cooler to keep cold  (think mayo potato salad). 

Today’s crowd pleaser is fruit salsa.  No, not the weird kind with onions and peppers in it, actual fruit salsa.  I can’t take credit for this one, it’s from a friend of mine at church.  It’s super easy, are you ready?

1-2C strawberries, 2 apples, 1 kiwi, 1 orange (or just some of the juice), 2 tbsp. brown sugar, 2 tbsp. apple jelly, 1 pkg. flour tortillas. 

First I’m going to explain the ingredients and why you need them.  The strawberries are for flavor and color.  The apples are for texture, the kiwi is a thickening agent, because when you chop it, it turns into goo and it thickens up the salsa.  The orange, or the juice is an acid to keep the fruit from turning brown.  The brown sugar is obviously to sweeten it but it’s also to break down the fruit a bit so it can give off its juices.  The jelly is also a sweetener and the tortillas are the chips to dip.

Ok, this is super easy.  If you have one of those hand-dandy food choppers from Pampered Chef or somewhere else, now is the time to break it out.  You wanna chop the strawberries,depending on how fine or chunky you like you salsa.  You can either peel the apple then chop it, or leave the skin on, up to you.  Chop about the same size as the strawberries.  Peel the kiwi, then chop it, but remember its gonna be pretty much mush, and that’s ok.  I don’t chop the orange, but I juice it over the bowl.  Then comes the fun part.  You can add pretty much any other fruit in here that you like.  I’ve done it with peaches, plums, pineapple, cherries…no bananas or grapes though.  Just remember that some fruits have a stronger flavor and will change the flavor of the salsa. 

Ok, now for the chips.  There are many already made versions of these in the store that you can surely buy.  I’ve done it, there’s no shame in it, but there’s something totally different about making them yourself and it’s not hard at all.  Take your tortillas and cut ‘em up.  I use a pizza cutter to cut them into wedges.  Then I spray them with cooking spray, but you can use butter or water or whatever you want.  You just need something to make some cinnamon and sugar stick. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar mixture and bake them on a baking stone or cookie sheet at 400 for 7-10 minutes until crispy. 

For your final preparation, pour your salsa into a beautiful patriotic bowl and scatter the chips around it.  I’m not lying when I say that I’ve NEVER taken this somewhere and come home with leftovers.  It’s refreshing, it’s something different and you can throw whatever fruit you have in the fridge in it.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!